Gusseted footwear and method of making the same



June Tl 1926. I 1,586,774

' Y E. S. BOTT ET ALv GUSS ETED FOOTWEAR AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed ApI il 2, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 witneoz; Q5 I I I. Q 302 4 E. S. BOTT ET AL GUSSETEDFOOTWEAR AND METHOD O MAKING THE SAME Filed April 2. 1925 June 1 1926.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mzmw 5. 742722 I June 11 1926. k 1,585,774

I E. S. BOTT ET AL GUSSE'IED FOOTWEAR AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 7 Filed April '2, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ell-.11, Y

June 1 1926. 1,586,774 7 E. s BOTT ET AL I GUSSETED FOOTWEAR- AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 2, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 TiTCz-HE Edgar 30?? Patented June 1', 1926.

UNITEDTSTATES. PATENT mm.

EDGAR s. nor'r AND ARTHUR s. FUNK, or LA cnossn. WISCONSIN, nssIeNons To LA cnossn RUBBER. MILLS 00., or LA cnossn, WISCONSIN.

r GUSSE'IED FOOTWEAR AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME. i

Application filed April 2, 1925. Serial u 20,267.

This invention relates generally to shoe construction and the art of shoe making, and particularly to lined gusseted footwear and the method for making the same. By gusseted footwear is meant shoes provided at their closure openings with triangular or V-shaped pockets or pieces of material,

which are normally folded but which open up or extend when the shoe opening is open to permit the insertion of a foot into the shoe orthe removal of the foot from the shoe.

The'invention has. been primarily designed for use in connection with shoes such as rubber or partly rubber shoes intended for outer wear as'overshoes, but of course, it is equally applicable for use in connection with other types of shoes.

According to the invention, the lining of the upper and the pocket are assembled into a substantially. flat unit and this unit is laced upon the last. After that has been one, the outer material or fabric of the upper is'placed upon the last over the lining and pocketforming unit and the formation of the shoe is completed while on the last. Then, in order to remove the shoe from the last, the pocket must be opened. This is preferably done by slitting the upper in front of the pocket.

The above described method comprises an advance in the art because the entire linin and pocket-forming unit may be assembled in substantially flat condition before placing the same upon the last, and the same is true of the outer covering of the upper.

. Thus, considerable labor is saved by carrying out the method, and a neater and better fitting shoe is provided.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accom- 1 panying drawings which form a part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings 5- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the pocketforming pieces of the improved shoe, illustrating such pieces in their flat condition and prior to being assembled and united;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the folded and closed pocket formed by uniting and folding the. two pieces shown in Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled lining for theshoeupper; f

Fig. 4151a perspective view of the lining and pocket-forming unit which is made by uniting the two units shown in Figs. 2 and 3, said Fig. 4 illustrating the lining and pocket-forming unit as it'appears when viewing it from one side;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the unit shown in Fig. 4, illustrating it as it would appear when viewed from the opposite side;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially, on the plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lining and pocket-forming unit placed upon a last;

Fig. 8 is a similar view of the outer covering for the upper,"sliowing it in fiat condition prior to being placed upon the last over the lining and pocket-forming unit;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the colnpleteshoe upon the last;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 1010 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the finished shoe removed from the last;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of another kind of blank which may be used for the outer covering of the upper:

Fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a shoe upon a last, having the outer covering of the upper composed of a blank such as shown in Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged horizontal sectional View taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 14-44 of Fig. 13, but

illustrating the pocket of the shoe as being open instead of as being still closed as Fig. v v

13 shows; and- Fig; 15 is a view similar to Fig. '14, but illustrating a different kind of closure fastener which may be used in connection with the shoe.

In carrying out the present invention, one of the first things to do is to make a closed folded pocket for the shoe upper. This is done by taking a triangular or V-shaped pocket-forming piece land an elongated pocket-closing piece or strip 2, and uniting the edges of the piece 1 to one side of the piece 2 and at the same time folding the piece 1, forming out of the. two pieces a closed pocket such as shown in Fig. 2.

Either after, before, or at the same time the closed pocket is being formed, a lining should be made. This lining is preferably made by uniting the lower edges of a pair of q uartr sections 3 with the ends of a toe or vamp-forming section 4, thus forming a unit such as is illustrated in Fig. 3.' In uniting the sections 3 with the piece 4, friction strips 5 may be used.

The'neezt step in the method is the formation of a'single lining and pocket-forming unit out of the closed pocket unit shownin Fig. 2 and the lining unit shown in Fig. 3. These two units are united as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, from which it will be seen that the inner edges of the quarter sections of the lining are united along longitudinal lines toone side of the pocket-closing strip 2. The strip :2 is longer than the inner edges of the quarter sections 3, and therefore, such strip overlaps and is united with a portion of the toe or vamp'forming piece l. In the single unit thus formed, the edges of the pocket 1 0r pocket-forming piece will be disposed between the quarter sections 3 of I the lining and the pocket-closing piece 2.

After the entire lining and pocket-forming unit. as been assembled in a substantially fiat. condition and the pocket has been pressed so as to make the fold lines of the same more or ltss fixed, the unit is placed upon a last, such as represented bythenumeral 6 in Fig. 7. quarter sections 3 of the lining are overlapped at the back of the last 6, and what are the lower edges of the unit in Figs. a and 5, are

stretched around the insole 7 shown in Fig. 7, and then united withthe insole in any suitable manner.

After the last-named' step has been completedand other necessauy reinforcing pieces or strips have been assembled, the outer covering of the upper is applied to'the last over the lasted up lining. The outer covering of the upper may be made in one or more pieces according to the material out of which it is made, and it may be applied in a number of different ways according to not only the material but the number of pieces out of which it is made as well. If the outer covering is to be of jersey cloth or some other elastic material, the blank for the same may be cut as shown in Fig. 8. In this case, the en ire outer covering is made of one piece as represented by the numeral 8, and is provided on each side of its median line with a series of shortslits 9. These slits 9 form guide lines whiclrare used in determining the location of the closure-fasteners for the upper.

The closure fasteners are preferably lever buckles 10, and the co-operating parts of these buckles are fastened in place by attaching tabs 11. The tabs 11 are preferably made of rubber covered or friction material and where the one-piece blank 8 is used, are inserted through the slits 9 and united with the back or inner side of the blank 8. The slits 9, of course, determine the location of The rear edges of the the adjacent ends of the tabs 11. The lever buckle fasteners 10 are preferably secured to the blank 8 in the manner just explained, while the blank remains in a substantially flat condition, and then such blank with the fasteners attached, is applied to the last over the linmg'and pocket-forming unit. After this has been done, the. outer covering is stretched or drawn tight so as to be free of wrinkles, and therear edges of the quarters of this covering are brought together at the rear of -the last. i

The shoe/is then completed while on the last in the regular way'by applicationof the rubber sole, heel and foxi'ng 12. the com; pleted shoe being vulcanized while on the last. After vulcanizing, the outer material 8 of the upper and the pocket closing strip- 2 are slit by means of a knife, shears or other suitable tool. This slit is located along the dotted line 13 shown in Fig. 5. The slit provides the closure opening 14. of the upper, and after it has been cut, the pocket 1 may be unfolded or extended so that the entire finished shoe may be removed from the last. The finished shoe as itappearswhen removedfroin the last is shown in Fig. 11.

If desired, the outer covering for the shoe upper may be made of a number of pieces of material. If this is desired, it may be made of two pieces, the main piece being cut as shown in Fig. 12 and represented by the numeral 8. In this case, the middle portion of the material may be cut out, forming more or less separated quarter portions 15, and the inner edges ofthese quarter portions 15 form guide lines similar to those formed by the slits 9 of Fig. 8 for the adjacent ends of the attaching tabs 11 of the lever buckle fasteners 10.

lVh-ere a blank such as shown in 12 is used; the inner edges of the quarter portions 15 do not come together in the finished shoe and therefore a substantially rectangular-shaped front piece or strip 16 must be used. Such a piece is shown in Fig. 13, from which it will he understood that it must be placed in position and united to the outer surface of the lining and pocket-forming unit before the blank 8 is applied. Then, after the shoe has been vulcanized or otherwise completed, the slit ll is cut in the pieces 2 and 16 to form the closure opening of the upper.

According to the invention, it is not necessary to use buckle fasteners having attaching tabs such as shown particularly in Figs. 10 and 1st, for instead of these tabs. the fasteners 10 may have metal attaching plates 11 such as shown in Fig. 15. hen fasteners of this character are used, they are attached by means of rivets 17 after the pocket of the shoe'has been cut open and the shoe has been removed from the last.

connection with the accompanying drawings,

the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains so as to enable them tomake use of the same. Therefore; further explanation is thought unnecessary.

It is obvious that various departures from the disclosure herein made, may -be made within the principle of the invention and without sacrificing any of the advantages of the same, so that it is to be understood that such may be done within'the meaning and scope of the appended claims which define the articular'novelty contained in the-in- We claim 1. The method of making a lined shoe having a folded pocket at its closure, which consists in assembling the lining and folded pocket into a substantiallyjflat unit, placing such unit upon a last, applying the outer material of the upper upon the last over said unit and uniting it with the lat-ter, completing the formation of the shoe while on {he last, and removing the. shoe from the ast.

2. The method of making. a lined shoe having a folded pocket at its closure, which consists in assembling the lining and folded pocket into a substantially fiat unitin'which the pocket is closed, placing such unit upon a last, applying the outer material o'f the upper upon the last over said unit and uniting it with the latter, completing the formation of the shoe while on the last, opening the the last. i

3. The method of making a lined shoe having a folded pocket at its closure, which consists in forming a closed pocket and a pocket, and removing the shoe from r lining, assembling such pocket and lining into a substantially flat unit, placing such unit upon a last, applying the outer material of the upper upon the last over said unit and uniting it with the latter, completing the formation of the shoe while on the last, opening the pocket, and removing the shoe from the last.

A. The method 'of making a lined shoe having a folded pocket at its closure, which consists in assembling the lining and folded pocket into a substantially flat unit, placing such unit upon a last, applying the outer material of the upper upon the-last over said unit and across'the opening of said pocket and uniting said material with said unit, completing the formation of the shoe while on the last, slitting said material at the opening of said pocket, and removing the shoe from the last.

5. The method of making a lined shoe having a folde pocket-at its closure, which consists in assembling the lining, folded pocket and a pocket-closing strip into a 6. The method of making a lined shoehaving a folded pocket at its closure, which consists in assembling lining sectionsinto a unit, assembling a pocket-forming piece and a pocket-closing strip into a unit in which the strip extends across and closes the opening of the pocket, uniting the abovenamed units to form a single substantially fiat unit, placing the last-named unit upon a last, applying the outer'material of the upper upon the last over the last-named unit and across the opening of said pocket which is already closed by said strip and uniting said material with such unit, completing the" formation of the shoe while on the last, slitting said material and strip at the opening of said pocket, and removing the shoe from the last.

7. The method of making a lined shoe, which consists in assembling the lining into a unit, placing such unit upon a last, securing closure fasteners tothe outer material of the upper, applying said material with the fasteners attached upon the last over said unit and uniting it with the lat- .ter, completing the formation of the shoe while on the last, and removingthe shoe from the last. v

8. The method of making a lined shoe, which consists in assembling the lining into a unit, placing such unit uoon a last, cutting the outer material of theup'per to provide guide lines determining the approximate location of the closure fastenersfor the shoe, securing the closure fasteners to said material according to said guide lines, applying said material with the fasteners attached upon the last over said unit and uniting it with the latter, com leting the formation of the shoe while on t e last, and removing the shoe from the last.

9. The method of making a lined shoe, which consistsin assembling the lining into a unit, placing such unit upon a last, slitting the outer material of the upper to ,provide two spaced series of slits, inserting the attaching pads of closure fasteners through said slits and securing said pads to the inner surface of said material, applying said material with the fasteners attached upon the last over said unit and uniting it with the latter, completing the for an inner lining and outer material superimposed on said lining, said lining and said superimposed material having a slit providing a closure opening for the upper, and a folded pocket disposed back of said opening, the edges of said pocket being secured between said lining and said outer material.

11. In a shoe upper, the combination of an inner lining and outer material superimposed on said lining, said lining and said superimposed material having a slit providing a closure opening for the upper, reinforcing strips disposed between said lining and said material and extending along each side of said slit, and a folded pocket disposed hack of said openin the edges of said pocket being disposed iietween said lining and said strips and being united with the same.

'12. In a method of making a shoe having a folded pocket at its closure; the steps of providing an inner ply of material vith a sealed and folded pocket, placing said inner ply and pocket upon a last, applying an upper to the last and securing it against said inner ply, and forming a vertical slit passing through the pocket seal to permit opening for said pocket.

13. In a method of making a shoe having a folded pocket at its closure; the steps of providing an inner ply of material with the folded pocket, securing a strip 'across the open side of the pocket to temporarily seal it in closed position, placing said inner ply,

pocket and strip upon a last, applying an upper to the last and securing it against said inner ply and the pocket sealing strip, and forming a vertical slit passing through said strip to permit opening of the pocket.

1%. In a method of making a shoe having a folded pocket at its closure; the steps of providing an inner ply of material with a folded and sealed pocket, applying said ply and the folded and sealed pocket to a last, applying an upper to the last, extending it across the pocket seal and securing it against said ply, and slitting through the upper and the pocket seal to permit spreading of the upper and opening of the pocket.

15. In a method of making a shoe having a pocket at its closure; the steps of forming an inner ply of material having a slit, forming a pocket, and securing the edges of the pocket to said inner ply along the side of the slit.

16; In a method of making a shoe having a pocket at its closure; the steps of forming an inner ply of material having a slit, forming'a pocket, securing the edges of the pocket to said inner ply along the sides of the slit, and securing a a sealing strip to said inner ply to close the slit and the pocket.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto afiined our signatures.

EDGAR S. BOTT. ARTHUR S. FUNK. 

